Guadalupe bridge to undergo major repair

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Wednesday said that major repairs on the Guadalupe Bridge in Makati City will be undertaken in 2019.

Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral said at the Philippine Construction Congress for Employment Generation on Wednesday that there has been no repair done on the bridge since it was built more than 50 years ago.

“Next year, the DPWH will study the design for the expanded bridge and once it is approved, construction plans will be drawn up. We expect work on the bridge to begin in 2019,” Cabral said.

She admitted that the repair works will lead to massive traffic buildup in EDSA. In anticipation of this, the DPWH has been in close coordination with the Metro Manila Development Authority.

“One of our major projects, we have been discussing with the MMDA, is the construction or designation of bike lanes in Metro Manila. This can be one practical solution,” Cabral said.

Meanwhile, Ruth Castelo of the Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (CIAP) said “the construction industry is being eyed as a top contributor to the national government’s employment generation program.”

The construction sector contributes 3.3 percent to gross domestic product (GDP). “There is a construction boom in the country right now but we want it to increase to 7 percent beginning next year,” Castelo said.
She added that the sector generates some three million jobs.